Corridos: Bringing New Perspectives

Course Description: This course examines Mexican and Mexican-American Popular Folk culture in the context
of historical and contemporary issues.

READING MATERIAL: Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change by Norma E. Cantú and Olga Nájera-Ramírez; Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas by Elijah Wald.

Every culture has a song. Assistant Professor Jonathan Alcantar, Ph.D., explores a very specific subgenre of
cultural music called the Narcocorrido in his Mexican-American Studies class: MAS 410, Narcocorrido and Mexican Folk Culture.

The Corrido has been a cultural staple in the lives of Mexican-Americans for more than 100 years.
“For some, Corridos resist an official history,” Alcantar says. “They provide an alternative
perspective from the bottom to the top.”

Usually, Corridos focus on a significant historical event or person. They are written
about deeds, people and life changing events from the perspective of the common folk
and shared with the population.

Culturally significant, Corridos follow the ages and flow with events. Starting with
early Corridos like The Ballad of Joaquin Murrieta, written for the Mexican-American War, focusing on battles, leaders and cultural
conflict; the Chicano Movement of the 1960s, singing about certain protests and actions;
and current issues with the most recent of the subgenres: the Narcocorrido.

As the name suggests, the Narcocorrido deals with drug trading. It’s a sensitive subject,
with songs that may both praise drug lords’ deeds and criticize the violence and deaths
that occurs. “We don’t try to glamorize this, because a lot of people have died,”
Alcantar said. “This is a real, critical issue that involves both countries. When
I teach this class, I want (my students) to know how to look critically at these issues.”

Los Tigres del Norte “Los Hijos de Hernández” (Corrido Dedicated to Mexican Immigrants
and Chicanos who served in the U.S. Military) (1986)

Los Tigres del Norte “Tres Veces Mojado” (Three Times Wetback) (1998)

Alcantar wants his students to engage the issues head-on. He doesn’t expect his students
to have simple solutions to the problems inherent in drug trafficking, but he does
want them to think and reflect on them. He encourages them to ask questions and share
concerns, often during his free, in-office “coffee hour,” giving them the opportunity
to explore, discuss and engage in tough, contemporary issues.

“(The class) is always evolving, obviously,” he says. “As new policies are implemented,
the Corridos are evolving, because now Corridistas are pondering how the cartels and
the countries are dealing with this social problem.”